Five book series that should be TV shows

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard about Netflix buying the rights to produce Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology and Grishaverse trilogy into a show. Bookish twitter has proceeded to go into excitement melt down. Kermit here seems to sum it up pretty beautifully…

Anyway, this news got me thinking: what other books or book series would make excellent TV shows? And, from what I have read, here is the list I came up with…

The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden

Okay, this series seems to come up on every list I make at the moment, but it’s because it is sooooooo good. Plus, it really would make amazing TV. Imagine how beautiful and atmospheric it would be if done right. Although the books themselves aren’t huge, I still think you could get a good three or four episodes from each. It may not be the longest-lived show but it’d be worth watching!

 

Mythos by Stephen Fry

A show all about the Ancient Greek myths and stories of the gods? Yes, please! Especially if they can capture the humour that Mr Fry brought to his book. If each of the major stories was an episode, then you would have at least a good two series out of this book alone, let alone it’s sequel Heroes or the planned third book based on the Trojan War.

 

The Conqueror Series by Conn Iggulden

Conn Iggulden has done a lot of books covering some fascinating periods and individuals in history, so picking one was hard. In the end, I picked The Conqueror series as I don’t think anyone can deny that the rise of Genghis Khan – from obscurity and exile to becoming the conqueror of the largest empire the world had ever seen at that point – is an intriguing, if bloody, story. Plus, his two other most famous series, which follow the rise of Julius Caesar or the Wars of the Roses, have all been done several times, so Genghis Khan would bring something a bit new to the table.

 

The King Killer Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

 

If done well, just imagine how creepy, sinister and amazing the Chandrian would be in a TV show. That’s all I really need to say? No? Well the story is amazing, even if Kvothe is one of my least favourite characters in the book. I just think there is so much you could do with this one! We would, unfortunately, probably end up with a Game of Thrones situation as Patrick Rothfuss seems in no hurry to finish the series.

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

So, this one isn’t a book series; it is a single book. But it has multiple short stories. Like my first choice on this list, this one wouldn’t necessarily be long-lived, but it would be incredible. I blame the out-of-this-world artwork in the book for making me think of this one. It’s style perfectly captures the deeply atmospheric and dark fairy tales that Leigh Bardugo has told in here.

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So, there you have it, five book series that I believe would make great TV! What do you think of the list? What would you put on your list? I’d love to know!

Jack